難波辺に人の行ければ後れ居て
春菜摘む子を見るが悲しさ
春菜摘む子を見るが悲しさ
- Roma-ji
-
Naniwahe ni hito no yukereba okureite haruna tsumu ko o miru ga kanashisa
- English Translation
-
Off toward Naniwa
since her husband has gone away,
left behind alone,
the girl gathering spring greens:
how it aches my heart to see
- Meaning
- Her husband has gone off to Naniwa, and seeing the girl left behind, gathering spring greens alone, fills me with tender sorrow.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1442
Headnote: "A poem by Tajihi no Mahito Yanushi, Assistant Minister of the Treasury"
Seeing a young wife left alone gathering spring greens after her husband has gone to Naniwa, the poet feels tenderness and pity. Within the bright scene of a spring outing, he finds the loneliness of parting.
The author, Tajihi no Yanushi, was an official of the Tajihi clan who served as Assistant Minister of the Treasury. He was the father of Tajihi no Otomaro, author of the next poem.
The first line means "toward the area of Naniwa," a port to which people traveled from the capital.
In the second line, "hito" here refers to the girl's husband.
The third line, "left behind," shows the situation of the girl who has seen her husband off.
The fourth line depicts the girl picking young greens. In 1421 of this book, the joy of seeing a girl gathering spring greens is sung, so the same scene is caught here from the opposite side, in pity rather than delight.
The final line ends on a noun; "kanashi" here means a tender ache of love and pity.
- Author
- Tajihi no Yanushi
- Source
- Manyoshu
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